Mạc Cửu

Who was Mạc Cửu?

Mạc Cửu, born Mò Jǐu was a Chinese adventurer who played a role in relations between Cambodia and the Nguyen court.

He was born in Leizhou, Guangdong. Sometime between 1687 and 1695, the Cambodian king sponsored him to migrate to Banteay Meas, where he at first served as chief of a small Chinese community, with the Khmer title Okna. By 1700, he had established an independent kingdom at Hà Tiên, known variously as Gangkouguo, Bendiguo, or Hexian Zhen in Chinese, and Cancao, Peam, or Pontomeas by Europeans. However, he later switched allegiance to the Nguyen. He sent a tribute mission to the Nguyen court in 1708, and in return received the title of Tong Binh of Hà Tiên. He died in 1735.

Mạc's son, Mạc Thiên Tứ, was born in 1700 to a lady from Biên Hòa. He also had a daughter, Mac Kim Dinh, who was married to the son of the Chinese general Trần Thượng Xuyên. as more Vietnamese invaded the region, the kingdom was annexed by the Nguyễn and merged with Vietnamese territory in 1800s. A genealogy of his clan is Hà Tiên trấn Hiệp trấn Mạc thị gia phả.